Why hunt Wolves?

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Deja vu

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Why is it any worse to hunt a predator than a deer? We are predators our selves. In the wild when opposing predators meet typically one will kill the other.

Nature designed man to be a predator. Why do some people have such a problem when we play the role that nature intended for us?
 
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stevelyn

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I hunt them and trap them because I can and the $350-400 check per from the fur buyer doesn't hurt either.

Besides, they're close to wiping out the caribou herd out here on the AKPEN.
 
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gaseousclay

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Why is it any worse to hunt a predator than a deer? We are predators our selves. In the wild when opposing predators meet typically one will kill the other.

Nature designed man to be a predator. Why do some people have such a problem when we play the role that nature intended for us?
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I don't think it's worse per se, but I do have a problem with hunting a species that's been on the endangered species list. I personally couldn't bring myself to shoot a wolf because they're too much like dogs :( I guess the only circumstance that would make me shoot a wolf is if my life or the lives of my family were in danger
 
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JimDandy

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Buffalo were on the endangered list, but as I understand it they're well off enough now, that if you're willing to pay through the nose for it, you can go out and harvest one. Talk about filing the freezer..

The too much like Rover, Sparky, and Spike thing, that I get. I even have some of it myself, I've seen video of deer being taken, and wolves being taken. Bambi didn't have the same impact.
 
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rickyrick

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Of course species shouldn't be hunted to scarce levels. But I totally support predator hunting.
As a part time predator hunter as most of us are, I find occasional hunting keeps them in check. It seems the survivors avoid certain areas. That's only my assumption, no scientific data lol. Never hunted wolf but I can assume that it is every bit as thrilling as the run of the mill coyotes.
 
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shortwave

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No wolves here. The coyotes have gotten a lot bigger lately however.
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Same here in Ohio highbrow .

The coyote situation is a good example of not maintaining control of a sub-human predator species. Our area has a coyote and fox problem. Not enough trapping/hunting for them to keep them under control. This situation didn't take place overnight. It came to pass over several years of no trapping/hunting due to very little bounty on pelts.
ODNR really didn't pay any attention to the growing problem when the farmers and people that lived in the country were telling them the yote problem is getting out of hand. When the yotes started showing up in the suburbs and more populated areas chewing on Mr. Jones poodle, ODNR started taking notice of the situation. There are a lot of public opinion that ODNR didn't try to address the problem in the earlier stages.

Don't know for sure, but didn't Fla. Game and Fish play down the anaconda situation at first as well???

I've not studied the breeding/reproductive cycle of the wolf but if it somewhat mirrors that of yotes/fox, then I can surely see the need for different pro-active strategies to keep the wolf population in check.

It's bad enough to wait till yotes show up to play with the neighborhood kiddies....wolves may be a different story.
 
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carolinasal

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i guess its how you feel about shooting one or not,i know when i was a kid hunting in florida you never herd the word coyote.i am 44 now and i do not predator hunt just deer. and i have shot 17 yotes since gun season opeaned.i dont know much about wolfs other than they are just big coyotes.i wouldnt let them get to the point where it is to late.
 
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Gerry

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This Popular Science article continues the wolf anti-hunting message they are "popular" for. Granted they do make a few valid points from a wildlife management point of view. For example, the predation on deer and caribou by animals like wolves are extremely important for the health of the herd. Human hunters just aren't selective in the same way, sometimes doing the opposite and taking the most healthy and largest animals instead.

Then again, wolves are pretty elusive and difficult. Most areas where wolves were extirpated was from extensive trapping - not shooting as the article implies. Like attempts to manage coyote populations have taught us, the much more limited shooting of wolves is made up through compensatory mechanisms. They need a lot of room, and vacancies affect reproduction & survival rate.

While I doubt hunting wolves with guns does much to manage their population, it's the choice of hunters when permitted to do so. Personally I don't hunt anything I can't eat, but I harbor no ill feelings against anyone who hunts for other reasons.
 
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Wyoredman

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A better question would be "Why are we spending millions and millions of dollars protecting a species that doesn't need protection?"

Generations of Americans worked tirelessly to rid the "civilized" part of our country of the predators, now we have seen the light and are trying to restore them to habitat that is completely non-wild, in terms of 100 years ago! It makes no sense.
 
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jason_iowa

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So are you ok with hunting bald eagles? We have so many of them they are a nuisance. Not as bad as red tailed hawks which are actually killing pets in peoples yards in cities! We need to start hunting them too.
 
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Gbro

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Ha, what is the point of that response?
A bald eagle, unlike popular opinion doesn't taste like chicken!
And they are a scavenger, they do us a very very good service by cleaning up the carrion on the shores and roadways.
I had a chance to get a picture of 10 baldies sitting in a dead tree beside the roadway but just before I got in position they flew.
There is really nothing that bald eagles and humans compete for and they are not at all dangerouse to man, though they may get an ankle biting mutt ;)
The Original People now have no restrictions on collecting and using eagle feathers. They should have never been restricted in the first place IMO.
 
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Art Eatman

Staff in Memoriam
What threads like this really, really don't need is off-topic strawmen and red herrings. Leave the eagles to their roosts.
 
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kraigwy

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I'm convinced the introduction of wolves (that were not native to this area) has nothing to do with wolves.

It's about eliminating hunting. Wolves destroy wild life, elk, moose, deer, etc, if you can't stop hunting via laws, then you introduce wolves that will reduce the hunted animals to the point, hunting would be eliminated.
 
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solocam72

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Never had wolf nor do I plan to eat one (no doubt you could) but I prefer deer and elk meat myself, these transplant wolves have raised serious havick on our elk herds here in Idaho! I will always be on the lookout for wolves to try and help save our elk.
 
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Deja vu

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As I said before in nature predators kill each other especially when one predator is in another predators territory. I doubt that in the wild a wolf or a bear really cares if it is in a bobcats territory. If it finds the cat either it will kill it or at least chase it off.

Man is just another predator. Nature created us to be what we are today. If we where not meant to hunt with weapons then nature would not given man the ability to create and share such things. We evolved (or where created) from the same stuff as all the other creatures. Nature designed us to be predators, to use tools, to share our knowledge with other humans and to be at the very top of the food chain. When we hunt other animals we are just doing what nature intended us to do. Why do we hold our selves to such a higher standard than the other animals that share this earth with us?

Just my opinion.
 
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Sodbuster

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To illustrate Kraig's point: I watched this program (quite by accident, I don't subscribe to NatGeo) a couple weeks ago. This telling fact was announced in a proud manner: Black Wolf was responsible for killing hundreds of elk. That's just one wolf. No need for hunters to thin the elk herds if wolves are doing it. The problem is the wolves are killing too many elk. Plus livestock. Great work by Ed Bangs and his reintroduction team. He's retired now. Wolves are hated by many people around here. Tourists like them. Friend of mine personalized license plate reads... No Wolf. Next showing of this program is January 11. Look for the time in your zone if you're interested.


http://natgeotv.com.au/tv/the-rise-of-black-wolf/
 
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